The Second Coming
by Psibender138
Summary: Four months after the defeat of Fire Lord Ozai, Aang meets an unexpected face in the midst of a civil uprising: his own. But is this mysterious new warrior truly who he says he is? READ AND REVIEW PLEASE.
1. Scars of an Ancient Regime

It had been four months since the defeat of Fire Lord Ozai. The world had experienced a return to normality, or at least as close to normality as it could come. Under the combined guidance of Avatar Aang and Fire Lord Zuko, the four nations were once again united in harmony, much like the elements from which they drew their power. However, there were still uncharted lands out there, and within these lands lay uncharted dangers…

---

Aang felt, at last, truly contented with his life. His duties as the Avatar were surprisingly lax; the occasional pockets of rebellion within the four nations were mostly left to the jurisdiction of their respective kings, leaving Aang primarily to deal with environmental threats. He still felt the slightest twinge of fear when taming an active volcano, as this very scenario had claimed the life of his predecessor Avatar Roku, but Aang knew he had faced worse threats before. Besides, how could he truly be called Avatar if he was unable to set aside his fears for a greater cause? That was what the Guru Pathik had taught him, after all. And of course, regardless of the threat, his friends were naturally at his side; they would fight with him 'til the very end, and the likelihood was very high that they would all go to the grave together.

More important than any of this, though, was the fact that Aang had Katara at his side. Four months ago he professed his love to the young Water Tribe girl, and his proposal had not been made in vain. Katara was both Aang's lover and his dearest friend. She was at his side not only in battle, but in all walks of life. They fought together, ate together, slept together (though not in the more adult sense of the word, not yet anyway). Aang often found himself getting lost staring into her intense blue eyes; upon waking next to her he found himself marveling at her delicate features. Katara's presence in his life was what reminded Aang that, despite his immense power, he was indeed still human.

Sokka knew, of course. A year ago he would've clobbered Aang had he known he was trying to court his sister, but as of now, he didn't care. Moreover, he felt happy for the two of them. _He's been through so much over the past year, why not let him get the girl? _Sokka thought to himself. _And my sister deserves a good guy; who better than the Avatar?_ Besides, he had Suki at his side, as fiercely loyal and determined as she always was. With her to take care of the important decisions, and with Aang and his sister well cared for, Sokka could focus on the finer things in life: fried meat, Pro Earthbending, and finding a replacement for his space sword.

---

"My Lord! We have another outbreak of fighting along the eastern coast!"

Zuko shook his head with a sigh. It distressed him to hear of such matters, especially so early in the morning.

"How bad is it?"

"My Lord, this is no small skirmish. The revolting group is said to have forces numbering in the hundreds!"

"Very well then. I'll need the Avatar's help for this. Is he in his quarters?"

"Indeed he is my Lord, he and that girl."

"Summon them at once. I have a feeling this will be a group effort."

"Yes my Lord," and with that, the aide left.

Zuko sighed once more. From the very beginning of his reign he'd known that there would be infighting. He'd heard the rallying cries. _We are a nation of warriors! To dedicate ourselves to meaningless platitudes like peace and love is to deny our very nature! Death to the false king Zuko; long live Fire Lord Ozai! _At this point, he was used to it. It still stung to be compared to his father in such a negative way, but Zuko knew that in order to truly move his country forward, he must weather whatever storm was sent his way.

"Zuko!"

Aang and Katara had arrived. The two still bore the look of sleep; it was obvious they had been suddenly awoken by his aide. Not that Zuko held this against them. After all, he's the Avatar, he should be allowed to sleep in every once in a while.

"Aang, Katara, I'm sorry for the sudden intrusion. I know it's the weekend and all…"

"Don't mention it," said Katara with a smile.

"Yeah, duty never calls…I mean, duty never rests…or something…I dunno', it's too early for proverbs," said Aang somewhat sheepishly.

"Well, we've got a serious situation on our hands. I could use your help."

"Another skirmish?" said Katara. "It seems like they're becoming more and more frequent."

"This isn't just any small skirmish, however. My sources tell me this is a full militia, with forces in the hundreds."

"That's not good," added Aang.

"Indeed, it's not. The militia was last seen on the eastern island chain. Normally I'd have my forces take care of it, but that would leave our local borders unguarded."

"That's why you need us," said Katara.

"Right. I figured you two would probably want to work together. You should find Sokka too; you'll need as many extra hands as you can get. If this militia manages to take Fire Fountain City, they'd have a fortified stronghold to increase their numbers, and then we run the risk of all-out civil war, and we can't have that."

"Don't worry Zuko, we're on it," said Aang, and he and Katara went off in search of Sokka.

---

Sokka was ecstatic. His mouth watered as the man took his money and handed him the fried fowl. "There ya' go, pal," said the man.

"Oh man, turkey duck! You can normally only get this back in the Earth Kingdom!" said Sokka excitedly. Truly, the Royal Plaza was the home of infinite delights. Just as he was about to take his first bite…

"Sokka!" shouted Katara, causing him to drop his delicious meal.

"Katara! That cost me two silver pieces! Man, now what I am gonna' eat?" he whined.

"There are more important things going on right now, Sokka," said Aang. "We need your help. There's an armed militia near Fire Fountain City, and we need some extra manpower."

"Oh yeah, Suki told me about that. She said she was going over there to help quiet things down. You two are working together, right?"

"Of course," said Aang and Katara in unison.

"Appa too?"

"Yep, he's napping back at the palace."

"Momo?"

"Sure, I guess."

"ALL RIGHT!! Team Avatar is officially back together, baby!"

"Well, except for Toph," said Katara with a hint of sadness in her voice.

"Yeah…except for Toph. I wonder how she and her family are doing. Hey, maybe after this whole situation is settled, we can go visit her!"

"We'll worry about that later, Sokka. Right now, we need to prevent a civil war," said Aang.

"Right."

And with that, they were off.

---

The sight that greeted the four was far worse than what they initially imagined. When Zuko said "militia," Aang thought he meant a few hundred guys with rustic swords starting fires and making threats. That was what a militia usually consisted of these days. What Aang wasn't expecting were tanks and full suits of armor.

Appa landed in a nearby rock clearing, two miles or so behind the militia. The three took time to assess the situation. There had to be two hundred here, easily, and that wasn't counting the tanks or komodo rhinos. "Zuko was right. It looks like they're preparing to capture Fire Fountain City," said Katara.

"Well guys, I'll let you handle yourselves. I've gotta' go find Suki and make sure she's okay," said Sokka as he was about to scurry off.

"Wait a minute! Do you even know where she is?!" said Katara.

"Yeah, she told me her and the other Kyoshi warriors would be slightly to the north of here. If we split up, you two benders can take on the blunt of the forces with a surprise attack, while the Kyoshi gals and I can flank them from the side. They won't be able to fight two elite fighting forces at once, right?" said Sokka, punctuating his explanation with a dramatic martial arts pantomime.

"That's actually a pretty good idea. Okay, good luck," said Aang.

And thus, Sokka was off, leaving Aang and Katara to strategize.

"So how should be go about this, Mr. Avatar? You just go into the Avatar State and completely annihilate them?"

"Well, I would, but why should I have all the fun? We hardly get into any good battles anymore. Besides, we're not gonna' kill these guys, just incapacitate them and send them over to Zuko for all the…official stuff."

"If you call life sentences in prison official Fire Lord Duties, then yes, I suppose you're right. Okay then, what's our strategy?"

"Well, you take them from the left with some water. I'll come at them from the right with some fire to counter their attacks. Appa can provide some air support if we need it. We meet in the middle, and if worse comes to worse, I've still got two elements left after that."

"Okay, sounds good. Kiss for luck?"

"You don't have to ask me twice."

As the two shared a passionate kiss, the sky grew dark. Black clouds swirled overhead, and the air became at once cold and humid. "What's up with the weather?" said Aang curiously. Almost as soon as the words left his mouth, a lightning bolt cracked the sky, wiping out one of the sabotaged tanks. Two more lightning bolts hit, destroying the other two tanks and a handful of soldiers, and Aang soon realized that the lightning wasn't coming from the sky, but rather from a nearby mountaintop.

"That's fire-lightning!" shouted Katara.

"But the only people who can generate lightning are Iroh, Ozai, and…"

"AZULA!" cried the two in unison.

The two ducked inside the clearing in order to ascertain this new threat. Could Azula really have broken out of the mental facility? If so, why was she waging war on her own people? Wouldn't she be helping the uprising rather than quelling it?

As these thoughts raced through the mind of both Aang and Katara, a most curious incident then occurred. The lightning stopped, and was soon replaced a massive tornado. Aang then realized this could only either be the work of vengeful spirits, or the work of a fellow Airbender.

And then the tornado burst into flames.

"Okay, what exactly is going on?!" shouted Katara.

"You got me," replied Aang.

The swirling fire vortex quickly cut a swathe through the militia's ranks. Bodies were tossed about like playthings, swords and armaments all melted in the extreme heat. Rain began to pour down on the beaten would-be army, and the ground, once made of hard rock, turned to mud and then solidified again, trapping the militia in the very earth itself. This could only be the work of four highly skilled masters working in unison. Perhaps the Order of the White Lotus had taken it upon themselves to end this uprising before it even began?

That was when Aang saw him: a figure, clad in a black variant of Aang's very own Air Nomad monk attire. As the figure approached, Aang could see that he was looking into the face of his exact duplicate. This warrior had the same shaven head, the same arrow tattoo, the only different was a strange tribal tattoo around his left eye. Aang and Katara were only further shocked when the figure spoke; not only was voice the exact same as Aang's, but _what_ he actually said was completely impossible. There was no way…

"It's been a long time…brother."


	2. Clearing the Eye

There he stood, a living impossibility. He was Aang's exact duplicate, and yet surely there was no way that the words he spoke were true. The Air Nomads had been wiped out! It was an act of cold, calculated genocide, an event that remained forever etched in Aang's heart. Besides this, however, was the fact that Aang was an only child. There was no way he could have a twin brother! But that resemblance, both in face and in voice…could it somehow be true? Aang had to find out, and eventually worked up the courage to speak to this new warrior.

"Who…who are you, and why did you call me 'brother'?"

"Right, I probably should explain myself, I was just kinda' eager to make a dramatic introduction. Anyway, my name is Jaang."

"…Jaang," said Katara with a tone of incredulity.

"As in, my name with a 'J' added to it," added Aang in disbelief.

"…yeah, I figured you guys would be kinda' shocked," replied Jaang.

"Shocked isn't really the right word for it," said Katara.

"So…uh, Jaang, how can you be my brother if I'm an only child, and the rest of the Air Nomads were wiped out?" inquired Aang.

"Well, that's the thing. I'm not an Air Nomad."

"But that how were you able to Airbend just now? And those attack combinations were incredible; I've never seen anything like that!" asked Aang.

"Well, uh, that's because I'm the Avatar."

"…no, I'm the Avatar."

"Yeah, but I am too."

"…what," said Katara and Aang in unison.

"Yeah, this is where things get kinda' confusing. Let me do my best to explain. You see, the world you two know, the world of the four nations: that's only a fraction of the world as a whole. There's whole, uncharted lands out there; my people, the Northern Astronomers, were a part of this," explained Jaang.

"…do go on," murmured Katara.

"Well, this section of the world has its own Avatar-like being, whose birth always coincides with that of the known Avatar. What this means is that, not only was I born on the same day, at the same time as Aang, but I also have all of his bending abilities."

"But Jaang, how can that possibly be true?" asked Aang. "The Avatar exists to bring order to the world; that whole idea kinda' gets thrown out the window if there are two of them running around."

"Not really. I mean, if anything, it brings further balance to the world. Think about Yue and La, the Moon and Ocean Sprits. They're separate beings, but are still linked. That's how it is for you and me. We're pretty much the yin and yang of the world…it's pretty cool, actually," Jaang added with a smile.

"Well, how come for everything I've heard about the Avatar for the past 14 years, no one ever mentioned that there's actually two of them?!" asked Katara.

"Well, because for those 14 years, you never even knew there was a world outside of the four nations. There's a reason I said my homeland was uncharted, you know."

"That's another thing I wanted to ask you, Jaang," said Aang. "You said you were born on the same day as me, but I was frozen in an iceberg for 100 years. How come you're not all…well, ancient and stuff?"

"Okay, well this might sound a bit strange-"

"Quite frankly, Jaang, this entire situation is strange," said Katara, cutting him off. "I really don't think you'll be able to say anything else that can surprise me at this point."

"Okay. I was in space."

"…in space," again said Aang and Katara in unison.

"Yeah. That's why my people were called the Northern Astronomers; while you guys studied the earth and all its elements, we studied the stars and their elements. Anyways, I was meditating, and eventually I found myself in the spirit world, communing with the old masters. I believe you already met the Lion Turtle, Aang."

"Yeah."

"Well, I studied with the old masters for 100 years. During that time, they transported me to the outer reaches of space. It turns out that you don't age when meditating in the middle of a black hole. Anyway, while with them, I learned not only the art of Energybending, but also some of the more dangerous bending arts."

"Well, how about you give us a demonstration?" suggested Aang.

---

Jaang grabbed the prone, unconscious body of a Fire Nation militiaman and proceeded to drag it over to a nearby clearing. As he did this, Katara slowed down and motioned for Aang to come over to her.

"Aang, I don't know if this is such a good idea," she said.

"Katara, I think we can trust him. If he had any intention of fighting us, I think he would've thrown the first punch," said Aang. "Besides, if he's anything like me, he's not exactly the craftiest warrior out there."

"You've got that right," replied Katara with a slight smirk.

Jaang laid down the body in front him. "This is what I call 'Psibendeing'," he said, and with a flick of his hand the militiaman was suddenly awake, hanging limp a few feet off the ground. It very much resembled Bloodbending, but the man's limbs were still able to move. Suddenly, Jaang clenched his fist, and a spasm of agony ran throughout the soldier's body. Blood shot out of his nose and foam ran from his mouth. A few seconds later and it was over; he was dead.

"You…you murderer! You just killed an innocent man!" shouted Aang in rage.

"Hey, hey, wait a minute, I can bring him back! Look." Jaang placed a hand on the man's body, which soon became enveloped in an intense green light. A few moments later, the soldier was alive once again. Both Aang and Katara were equally shocked. They'd seen many things in their battles together, but never before had they seen a man actually rise from the dead.

"I call that 'Lifebending'," said Jaang. He was met with a stunned silence. "I know…I'm not too good when it comes to names…"

Suddenly, Sokka, Suki, and the rest of the Kyoshi warriors appeared on the scene.

"Hey everybody! I'm back, and look who I brought with me: the Kyoshi warriors, baby! We're here and we're ready to…wait, did we miss the fight?!"

"You missed a lot more than that, Sokka," said Katara.

"Sokka, I want you to meet Jaang," said Aang, motioning to his darker duplicate.

"…Jaang?" replied Sokka.

"Yeah. He's…kinda' my twin. He's also the Avatar, just like me."

Sokka said nothing. Words couldn't convey what he felt at that very moment. _Surely I have to be tripping out on cactus juice again,_ he thought, _because there's just no way…_

"Uh, Sokka, I suggest you and your girlfriends sit down. There's a lot of ground we need to cover," said Jaang.

---

The group, which consisted of Aang, Katara, Appa, Sooka, the Kyoshi warriors, and now Jaang, arrived back at the palace. The attempted insurrection had, for all intents and purposes, been effectively quelled, albeit in an extremely unexpected way. Aang, Katara, and Jaang needed to tell Zuko of the good news. Before this could happen, however, Aang pulled Jaang aside. "Uh guys, give me a minute, I need to talk with my, uh, brother."

"So Jaang," began Aang, "is there any way I can learn those techniques you showed me? Not that I would use them, of course, but you know, just in case some sort of catastrophic threat popped up."

"Hmm. Let's see, what did the old masters tell me?" he said. "Oh, that's right! They said 'in order to unlock the true potential of the body and the mind, you must clear your third eye."

"Clear my third eye? But I already unlocked my Light Chakra. I think that's about as clear as you can get it," Aang replied.

"Nope. I heard rumors about a great warrior from the Fire Nation: an assassin who could Firebend through the powers of his mind-"

"Oh! You mean Combustion Man!"

"…that's his name? Anyway, that is what you must do. Develop your third eye to the point where not only is your own mind clear, but you can clearly see the minds of others, and as such, manipulate them. Become, for the briefest of moments, a collective consciousness with them, and bend them to your will!"

"You're very well-spoken for a 12 year-old, you know that?" said Aang

"Eh, that's what the infinite knowledge of the cosmos will do to you. Anyway, if you seriously want to learn these techniques, then you've got a lot of meditating to do."

"Hey guys, I hate to interrupt all this third eye talk, but we've gotta' go. The Kyoshi warriors are needed elsewhere, and me and Suki need to spend some...uh, quality time together," said Sokka.

"All right, we'll see you guys later," said Katara.

Aang pondered his brother's advice as the three made their way up the steps of Zuko's palace. It was still early afternoon, and Aang wanted to get started on mastering these new techniques as soon as possible. Not to mention, he could certainly use some meditation time anyway; his mind was still reeling from the sudden revelation that he had a twin.

Jaang suddenly spoke. "Oh, I just realized! I got everyone else's names, but what did you say your name was again?"

"Oh, I'm Katara."

"Katara...okay. I'll remember that."

---

The three made their way up the steps and through the front door of the palace. Immediately, both Aang and Katara could sense that something was wrong. The mood of the usually busy palace, which was normally at least somewhat cheerful, had grown somber in their absence, and there was a decided lack of activity. Not to mention, neither Zuko nor the palace guards were anywhere to be seen.

Suddenly, as if on cue, Zuko came running out from a back room. It appeared as though he'd been holding a war meeting, judging from the amount of people that came trudging out behind him.

"Aang, Katara, I'm glad you've returned so soon, we've got a big problem. It…wait, who's that? He looks like Aang."

"It's a long story," said Aang. "What's going on, Zuko?"

"Well," he said, "it's my father. He's escaped."

--

_Soon. It'll be happening very, very soon_, thought the man as he cut a fiery swathe through the forest before him. He ran as fast as he could, but this was not out of fear. After all, what would a sacred being such as he need to be afraid of? _Blood, chaos, fire; these will be the elements the herald the second coming of the Phoenix King. The world will once and for all be cleansed by divine fire, and out of the ashes, a new empire will reign over the world. _

As he ran, so too raced his thoughts: _The Avatar shall fall; he will be slain by my hand. But not before I teach that son of mine some respect. He shall prostrate himself before me, like so many others. He will learn his place; he will learn to kneel. _

Finally, he arrived at his destination. Before him stood a vast armada, a fitting testament to the glory of the Fire Nation. His troops gathered before him, their numbers in the thousands. And as expected, they too prostrated themselves before him, as a familiar cry emerged from their lips, one he'd heard shouted from rooftops and whispered in back alleys: "_Death to the false king Zuko! All hail Fire Lord Ozai!"_


	3. Reconciliations and Purity

This was _not_ good. How could the former Fire Lord have escaped? He'd been kept under constant watch by some of Zuko's best guards, guards who now lie critically injured. This simply had to have been an inside job, but who was responsible? Who among the current ranks? Zuko personally knew that the Ozai wasn't necessarily a physical threat; Aang's Energybending had made sure of that. But this was more about what Ozai's escape represented. To Zuko, it represented dissent, and chaos; it was an extremely powerful symbol, one that could not only inspire the formation of more militias in the future, but given enough time, it could lead to an entire nation-wide revolt. He knew that he could best his father in combat, but Zuko couldn't take on his entire country. No one, not even the Avatar, could accomplish such a feat.

"Aang, Katara…and, uh…"

"Jaang."

"Right. I need you three to form a search party and track my father down," he said. "He's probably either in the forest or one of the smaller nearby villages. Now, even without his bending powers, my father is still a formidable hand-to-hand warrior. Not to mention he's probably hooked up with one of the militia groups by now. Track him down and bring him back to me. I'll decide what to do with him when you get back."

"Wait, we should probably some more people involved," said Katara.

"Do whatever you need to do. Just hurry; I know it sounds like I'm overreacting when I talk about civil revolutions, but the threat now is very real, and I _can't_ risk that."

With that, the three left the palace. Together, they quickly traveled across the Royal Plaza in search of Sokka. His "quality time" with Suki would have to wait.

---

Toph had lived with her parents for most of her life, barring that fateful one-year period, but this was the first time that she truly felt "at home" in her home. Her parents, upon seeing her contribution towards saving their home country, had greatly loosened up as far as their supervision was concerned. Her father was naturally still somewhat paranoid, but even that had since toned down. Not to mention the valuable investment the WEF (World Earthbending Federation) had in her.

Yes, ever since coming back home, Toph resumed her periodic bouts of Earthbending. Originally known as "The Blind Bandit," Toph now preferred to go by her own real name, now that her parents were well aware of her actions. "The Master" Toph Bei Fong remained undefeated in the WEF; her dreaded hold "The Masterlock," (a move which consisted of the young girl sandwiching an opponent between two thick slabs of rock and squeezing them tightly together) had given her many a submission victory over the competition. Of course, everyone knew it was rigged; Toph would lose her Earthbending Championship when Xin Fu felt it had gone on long enough. That was one of the downsides of this business; it was less about raw bending skill and more about political maneuvering. Still, Toph was the league's most popular combatant, especially with The Boulder and The Hippo gone. She wouldn't be losing her title for quite some time.

Considering all this, it was naturally unexpected when Aang and his friends showed up to her door.

"Hi Toph," said the Avatar.

"Aang, hey! It's so good to see you! Well, not literally, but, you know," she replied. "Are the other guys with you?"

"Yep," replied Aang, and on cue, his friends greeted the young girl. "Now Toph, I'm gonna' tell you in advance. You may occasionally think you're hearing me have a conversation with myself, but that's only because I'm talking to my newly discovered twin-brother."

"…'kay," replied Toph.

"It's a long story," said Sokka. "Anyway, Toph, we need your help. It turns out that Fire Lord Ozai has escaped from jail, and could be plotting some sort of revolution. You remember Ozai, right?"

"Oh, you mean the evil dictator who nearly massacred my entire home country? No, I completely forgot about him," replied Toph with a good deal of sarcasm.

"We need your help, Toph. Zuko had us form a search party to find Ozai, and the more people we can get involved in this, the better," said Katara.

"Well…okay. Since my parents aren't home right now, I suppose I can help you guys for an afternoon," replied the young Earthbender.

"Great!" replied Sokka, and thus the group prepared to set off in search of the exiled Fire Lord. Before they could truly get on their way, Jaang spoke up.

"Aang, I was thinking, maybe you should go back to the palace."

"What? Why? You guys need me, don't you?" replied the Avatar

"Well, yeah, but if it turns out Ozai actually _is_ planning a revolution, those powers I showed you might come in handy. It would be best if you could try to learn them as quick as possible. You have the advantage of being able to meditate while in the Avatar State, a state of being that I can't even reach, so it shouldn't take you too long."

"Wait a minute. You're the Avatar for your half of the entire world, and you can't even enter the Avatar State?!"

"Yeah. I don't know why, but in all my time studying the ancient arts, I was never able to learn how to enter it. I must have some seriously blocked up Chakras. Anyway, the four of us could split up into groups of two, while you go back to the palace and train. We'll cover more ground this way, and besides, if we have _two_ psychics on the team, even Ozai won't be able to stop us."

"Hmm, I don't know. What do you think, Katara?"

"Well, I suppose it couldn't hurt. I mean, with Ozai no longer having his bending abilities, I'm sure we'll be able to take him on, especially with three bending masters on the team," replied Katara.

"Yeah, and don't forget Toph, too!" added Sokka, before realizing his mistake. "Oh yeah, that's right, I'm the one who's not a master…_not yet._"

"Okay, it's settled then. I'll go back to the palace and meditate, while you guys split up and track down Ozai. Sokka, you take Appa and Momo with you; you could use a flying bison the most out of anyone," said Aang.

"Sure, always condescending to the one guy who's not an elemental master. Well Mr. Avatar, maybe you should bend your EGO!!" shouted Sokka. "Yeah…that sounded a bit funnier in my head."

"Alright, I'll see you guys later. Toph, good seeing you again," said Aang.

---

"Om mani padme hum…"

Aang sat, his body in the familiar Lotus Position, and chanted quietly to himself. His brother had told him that the only way he could learn the techniques of Psibending and Lifebending was through intense meditation, and Aang wasted little time in getting on this objective. As peaceful as the activity was, his thoughts couldn't help but wander back to the day's earlier proceedings: the shocking revelation that he had a twin brother, coupled with an amazing display of elemental power. In spite of all the evidence, he still doubted the idea that Jaang was his twin. _How can it be,_ he thought, _that for the millennia the Avatar spirit has existed, it was never once born in those "uncharted" lands? Unless it has…which could mean that he's the __**real**__ Avatar and I'm a fake…but wait, it's not like one's real and one's fake, we're two halves of the same coin…but he's so much more powerful than me…AAAHHH!!! _

Aang threw his staff at a nearby tree in disgust. Trying to figure out this new development was driving him crazy. It was just like when he and Bumi would try to discuss time-travel; it was an utterly fruitless endeavor that would leave them both frustrated and confused. Of course, now Aang felt bad for taking his anger out on an innocent tree. _Sorry tree; because of that outburst, now I'm probably gonna' get reincarnated as a spiderfly or something when I die. _

Retrieving his staff from the tree it was embedded in, Aang resumed the Lotus Position. He no longer thought of the seemingly impossible existence of his twin; now he found he could only focus on what Jaang had told him. _How long must his meditation have lasted for him to be able to commune with the ancient spirits? I mean, it took me almost a year to even find one, and I'm not even sure how I did that. _Beyond this, though, were mental musings on to the sheer implications of these new powers. Once acquired, Aang could essentially be omniscient. Tapping into the collective consciousness to manipulate a single being was one thing, but what was stopping him from probing into the minds of everyone on the planet? For that matter, what was stopping Jaang? It was then that Aang thought; perhaps he wasn't ready for such a great responsibility. After all, being able to peer into and control the minds of every living being on the planet, and being able to stop yourself from doing so, would require a tremendous amount of self-control. This was self-control Aang wasn't sure he had.

_Wait, what am I talking about? _he suddenly thought. _Of course I have that kind of self-control. I'M THE AVATAR! I can do anything if I set my mind to it! _Aang entered the Avatar State, and delved deep, deep into his psyche. Beyond all these mere pedestrian meanderings of self-control came a very real, very intense feeling of claustrophobia. He felt as though he could feel the very weight of the cosmos crushing down upon him. The sounds of the universe filled his ears: thoughts, whisperings, and silent prayers. In the midst of this chaos, Aang felt his vision transported: He was no longer looking at the backs of his eyelids, but rather into the very center of the universe itself. The ground beneath him seemed to float away, and Aang found himself amongst the stars themselves. And not only was he looking into the center of the universe, but he found, in a moment that filled him with both horror and awe, that the universe was indeed staring back at him. A massive, floating eyeball: the physical representation of the Light Chakra. A hand emerged from this ethereal, God-like formation, a hand that seemed to beckon Aang towards the void. And slowly, the young Avatar found himself drawn away from the physical realm; he would soon be beyond Earth, beyond even the spirit realm. He would be transported to the era before time itself.

This holy, even orgasmic process of transfiguration was shattered by the sudden sound of an explosion. Aang knew it was nearby; he could even faintly smell the gunpowder in the air. Whatever had happened, it was bad.

---

"Father! You can't do this!" cried Zuko. The explosion had leveled a sizable section of the Royal Plaza, probably killing dozens. The Fire Nation war balloon hovered menacingly over the palace, like a viper waiting for the opportune time to strike.

"So this is what my pathetic excuse for an offspring has been doing in my absence. I see you're just as useless a ruler as you are a son," replied Ozai.

"Insult me all you wish, father, but leave my countrymen alone!"

"_Your_ countrymen?! Don't you mean _my_ subjects?!"

"You hold no claim to this land anymore, father!" shouted Zuko. "I am the rightful heir to this throne, and I am the ruler of these people!"

"Yes, you're the ruler of these people, and yet what have you done for them? Nothing!" shouted Ozai in response. "Under your 'leadership', the one-proud Fire Nation has grown soft and weak! Any redneck militia from any backwoods corner of the Earth could come and overthrow you at this very instant! I'm saving you that humiliation, however. Give me back my throne, my kingdom, and my people, or I can personally guarantee that you and your friends will _burn._"

"Father…" began Zuko, "all my life you've tried to impose your will on me. I was the loyal son for so long, and what do I have to show for it?! Nothing! Nothing but this scar, and the deep, deep regret that I wasted so many years of my life by being a slave to you! Well, no more! If you want this throne back so badly, you'll have to kill me!"

"Very well, my son, if that is what you wish," replied Ozai coldly. Zuko's anger turned to fear and disbelief when he saw his father charging up a lightning bolt! _But Aang took away his bending!_ thought the prince.

Before he could deliver the fatal blow, Ozai was suddenly blasted back by a fireball. Aang had arrived in the nick of time. "Ozai!" he shouted. "Leave this kingdom at once!"

"Ha! And what threat do you pose to me, boy?! You tried to beat me once already, and you failed! You weren't even strong enough to kill me!"

Aang's eyes and tattoos began to glow blue with pure, ethereal energy. He may not have learned the arcane bending arts of his brother, but he was still the Avatar, and could more than hold his own in a fight. He summoned an elemental whirlwind to surround himself with: fire, earth, water, and air all swirling in equilibrium around him. It was a scene from their epic battle four months prior, and Ozai knew, despite his immense power, that he had no chance of beating the Avatar like this.

"Perhaps we'll save this for another time. Zuko, my son! I shall give you three days to peacefully surrender the kingdom to me. If you refuse, know that the impending blood-letting will be solely on your hands!" shouted the former Fire Lord as his war balloon flew away.

Aang returned from the Avatar State. He was as shocked as he was angered at these recent developments. He'd permanently removed Ozai's bending abilities. Unless the spirits had suddenly granted him his power back, a scenario that was highly unlikely, Aang couldn't figure out how he was able to once again summon lightning.

"Zuko, are you okay?" asked Aang.

"I'm fine. You need to go find your friends and bring them back here immediately! In three days we'll have a full-scale war to deal with, and we'll need all the manpower we can get!"

Aang nodded, and flew off on his glider to retrieve his friends.


	4. The Element of Flesh

So this is what it had come down to: civil war, the very scenario that Zuko most feared. It was a mere four months into his reign, and already the kingdom was tearing itself apart. Aang had thought that this might happen, even as far back as the first outbreak of infighting. He knew that the new direction Zuko promised the other nations after Ozai's first defeat wouldn't be well received by all .After all, the Fire Nation was a land dedicated solely to conquest and triumph for as long as anyone could remember. It was a mantra drilled into the head of every child, and it was the code of honor that every fallen warrior took with them to the grave. In spite of all this, however, the thought of yet another war frightened Aang on a very primal level. He knew the horrors that war would bring. The first war had not only exterminated his people, but had also nearly wiped out the Earth Kingdom. If Ozai was able to take back the throne and launch another worldwide campaign, it would mark a return to the time of constant fear and peril. It would mean that, for all intents and purposes, Aang had failed in his duties as the Avatar.

He couldn't let that happen.

---

Aang was able to find Sokka and Toph rather easily; they had only just arrived back in the Fire Nation when he caught up with them. The two, naturally, weren't thrilled that their rather long trip was all for naught.

"What do you mean the search is off?!" shouted Sokka. "You mean we traveled all the way back here for nothing?!"

"Well, not actually. We could use you two back at the palace," replied Aang.

"Oh, that's just great!" replied Sokka. "If I had known that I would've just stayed there in the first place! But nooo, I have to go with you and my sister because you need help-"

"Sokka, we found the Fire Lord! He attacked the palace and declared war on Zuko! That's why we need you back there!"

"…oh. So why couldn't you have told me this BEFORE myself seem like a total jerk?!"

"Well, you didn't give me a chance!" replied Aang.

Suddenly, Toph spoke up.

"Guys, I can't go with you."

"What do you mean?" replied Sokka.

"I mean, I can't go with you if there's going to be a war," she said.

"Toph, we need you. You're the best Earthbender in the world! You have to help us!" said Aang.

"I can't! Look, I'm sorry you guys, but if there's going to be another war, my village…my family needs me more than you guys do. Aang, you and Sokka are both great warriors. You two, along with Katara and your twin, would be more than enough help for Zuko. I mean, you've already beaten the Fire Lord once already, right?"

"But Toph-"

"Look, I'm sorry. You guys are the best friends I've ever had, but Aang, you and I both know that the only reason you took me in was because you needed an Earthbending instructor. Isn't that right?"

The boy nodded.

"Well, you're an Earthbender now. You can handle yourself. I love you guys, but what am I supposed to do if we _can't_ beat Ozai this time, and the Fire Nation decides they want to finish wiping out the rest of my people?! I can't just leave my family and friends back there to die, can I?!" she said. "This isn't just about our little gang anymore. I have a duty to everyone in the Earth Kingdom to protect them as best as I can and nothing is going to change that. I'm really, really sorry, but that's just how it is."

"Toph..." started Aang. "If that's what you need to do, then go ahead. Nobody will hold it against you."

"Thanks Aang," she replied.

"Toph," said Sokka.

"Yeah?"

"I just want to say I'm proud of you. For a 12 year-old girl, you're one of the bravest people I've ever met," he said.

"Thank you, Sokka," replied Toph.

The three shared a group hug. It was the last one they would share.

"Well, I guess I'll see you guys around," said Toph, and thus she began her long trek back to the Earth Kingdom.

---

"Sokka, you go back to the palace and try to formulate some defense strategies with Zuko," said Aang. "Take Appa, he'll get you there quicker. I'll try to find Jaang and Katara."

"Right, I'm on it," replied Sokka.

Aang thought for a minute. Where would the two of them be? Considering Sokka was easily the most sociable of the group, he and Toph most likely would've taken the local villages had Aang not intervened. Figuring this, Aang then concluded that Katara and Jaang would've split off and searched the nearby forests. Of course, tracking wasn't really the boy's strong suit, and there was a pretty decent chance his initial assumption was wrong, but Aang had no other leads at this point. He set off at a supersonic run in search of the pair.

It didn't take him long to find them. Only now he wished he hadn't.

What Aang saw before him was simple. He saw Katara, his one true love, lying down on the ground, her legs spread open. And he saw Jaang, his own brother, on top, thrusting his boyhood into her. The two lay in a pile of dirt and twigs as they made love; their moans were soft and murmured, yet not soft enough for Aang not to hear. At this point, he was too horrified to look away. For the briefest of moments, he could've even sworn that he saw Jaang glance at him. Jaang then flipped Katara over and began to pound away at her with newly increased vigor. Katara's eyes held a satisfied, if slightly glossed-over look, while Jaang's face bore a look of intense, animal lust. He pressed the girl's face into the dirt as he pumped away at her, faster and faster. At this, Aang had no choice but to look away. He left them there in the woods to finish and made his way back to the palace, if only out of habit. At this point, Aang didn't care the slightest about civil war, and went to him room.

---

It was nightfall. Aang laid face down upon his bed, having not moved for the past several hours. Katara suddenly stormed in, rather annoyed.

"Aang, why didn't you tell me that Zuko called off the search for Ozai?! A war declaration is a pretty important thing to forget, don't you think?!"

The Avatar slowly rose to his feet. His demeanor was cold. "Katara, I don't think you're in any position to be asking questions right now," he said.

"Aang, what are you talking about? This is serious!"

"I **AM **SERIOUS!!!" the boy roared, and unleashed a vicious fireball, taking out the wall behind him. Aang composed himself for several moments before finally speaking again.

"Katara," he began, his breathing ragged, "if…if you didn't actually love me, you should have told me from the beginning. But no, you had to condescend to me like I'm a little kid!"

"Aang, what on Earth are you-"

"NO! **LISTEN!**" he shouted. "I know I'm only 13 but I have feelings too! And for you to not only lie to me for so long but then to find you today…ugh, I don't even want to think about it!"

"Aang, I do love you. I don't know what you're going on about, but-"

"OKAY, FINE, YOU WANT ME TO SAY IT FOR YOU?! I **know **what's going on between you and my brother! I saw you earlier today! There! I said it, are you happy now?!" he replied.

Katara was somewhat annoyed now. "Aang, I don't know what you think you saw, but there's nothing going on between me and Jaang! All he did earlier today was show me some more advanced Waterbending techniques. It lasted, like, five minutes."

Aang laughed bitterly. "Oh, so that's what you guys call it now?! Sure, Waterbending, whatever."

"Aang, what are you talking about?"

"Don't act like you don't know, Katara! I saw you two in the woods today!"

"Yeah. As I said, he was showing some Waterbending techniques."

"That's not what it looked like to me! It looked more to me like he had your face pressed into the dirt as he…aaarrgh, you know what he did to you! Don't make me repeat it!

"Aang…" Katara said softly. "I seriously have no idea what you're talking about."

"What do you mean?! How could you not remember; it looked like you were enjoying yourself pretty well earlier today!"

"Aang…" said Katara as tears began to well up in her eyes. "I just realized. I don't remember anything that Jaang taught me."

The boy was confused. "…what do you mean?"

"If Jaang taught me Waterbending, then how come I don't remember any of the techniques he showed me?" she wondered aloud. "If he was teaching me Waterbending then I would remember some of his techniques, right? But I can't…I can't remember."

Aang's rage subsided. "Katara…Jaang is a master psychic, right?"

"Yeah."

"Well…what if he made you hallucinate? What if he made you think you were doing something while you were really doing something else?"

"Oh…oh no. No, no, no," she replied

"Katara, there's only one way to be sure."

Katara reached down her pants and felt herself. She pulled her hand out, and her fingers were covered in blood. Aang embraced Katara as she began to weep hopelessly. The truth had dawned on them both: what Aang had witnessed earlier in the woods wasn't consensual. It was rape.

---

"Aang…please don't go," said Katara.

Aang consoled the girl. "Katara, I have to do this. I can't risk you getting hurt because I decided to rush into battle."

"But what if Jaang come back…what if he tries to…" she couldn't finish her thought. Jaang hadn't returned to the palace with Katara, and nobody knew where he was. Aang preferred to think that he'd run off after the earlier incident, but he had a feeling that this wasn't the case.

"Katara, listen to me. You can't keep living in fear just because of what happened. What Jaang did to you was horrible, yes, but you're still one of the best warriors in any of the four nations. This palace…this land needs you now."

"But why do you have to go, Aang?"

"Because this is the only way I can beat him. If I want to defeat Jaang, I need to learn his techniques and use them against him. If either of us were to fight him now, he'd probably just mindcrush us like he did to that Fire Nation soldier. Taking him out will require planning. In the meantime, I need you and Zuko to take care of things while I'm gone. I shoudn't be gone too long anyway; I almost reached the spirit world earlier today. I'll be back soon, I promise."

Aang turned to go, but Katara stopped him once again. "Aang? You…you still love me, right?" she asked. Aang kissed her passionately and looked deep into her eyes, the same way he had done countless times before. "Katara, I love you more than anything else on this earth. You're the most important thing that's ever happened to me. I swear to you, Jaang will see justice before this is over."

They kissed again, making it last as long as they could. Aang turned away, sat down, and assumed the Lotus Position once more. Katara left him to his work.


	5. Cosmic Flames and the Dawn of War

He spoke, in a voice that wasn't wholly his.

"_I remember the fear. I remember the taste. Isolation, reflection, a distant echoed howl. Blood on the ground. Shadows moving on me. Tension. Animal. Response. Blind eyes dawning and watching the wreckage. The life fades to silver. My engine's burning. To bring me to them I'm walking to the eternal lake of light."_

It was night now. The boy's mind was surprisingly clear. The earlier events of the day still lingered, naturally, but they were in the back of his mind, as though they were nothing more than a distant memory. There was grief, yes, and there was rage: a seething, primal fury. This was the type of hatred that could topple mountains and split a man's soul in two. However, it was exactly this rage that stayed Aang's hand. He knew that to give in to his anger would lead him down a road from which there was no turning back. And then, he would be no better than his twin.

So he sat, and meditated, and he prayed to the arcane spirits to grant him clarity as they had almost done earlier. Soon enough, he would once again feel the embrace of the divine.

"_The words of spirits lie among us, in the glazed clay of ruin, at the source of subtle bodies. To know the sky and how it was hammered into place. Where all graces are electric."_

His senses were heightened now; the Avatar State had a tendency to do this. He could not only see and hear, but feel all that occurred around him; from the buzzing of the tiniest insect to the murmured battle strategies of Zuko and his men. He could feel Katara across the room, breathing softly as she slept. The hatred Aang felt for his brother was only intensified by the love he felt for her. He had promised Katara justice, and Aang fully intended to follow up on this promise.

Then he felt the spiritual hand ensnare him once more, just as it had during his excursion in the woods.

When Aang finally opened his eyes, he was in the spirit world.

---

For all of the advanced technology they possessed when it came to methods of war, the Fire Nation was sorely lacking when it came to other necessities. Their jails, for instance, were squalid dens of filth, home to all sorts of insect and rodent infestations. Admittedly, Zuko had been trying to reform these public institutions for quite some time, but with a limited budget and other, more pressing issues, it was a slow-moving endeavor. He simply dealt with the complaints as they came in, doing as best he could to cater to the whims of his people.

The one area the Fire Nation did excel in, though, was its mental care facilities. Under the reign of Ozai, these facilities were the finest in any of the four nations. The commoners never got to see them of course; the mentally ill among his civilian populace were usually either locked away in jail, or if they were too far gone, quietly executed. But if a member of Royal Guard found themselves suddenly thrust into a bout of psychotic rage, they'd find themselves in one of these pristine facilities, constantly drugged and monitored until they were fit to re-enter the ranks of the elite. And it was here that Azula had spent the past four months.

The breakdown had been severe and almost crippling. The girl, now 15, had come in plagued by hallucinations, ranting and raving about her divine power. Worse still, she was incredibly powerful, managing to take out three security guards upon her entry. Ever since then, she'd been kept almost constantly sedated; it was the only safe way to deal with someone who was that powerfully unstable. The guards who administered her medication often felt very unsettled upon entering her cell; they claimed they could feel Azula was watching them with a silent, but all-too-palpable rage. It was as though she was planning their death, even through the haze of drugs and stabilizers.

And then one day Azula's silent plans came to fruition, albeit in a most unexpected way.

The attack had been sudden and single-handed. A lone figure strolled in, casually wiping out all who stood in his way. The security was highly trained but still no match for this deadly warrior clad in black. His wrath was single-minded and indiscriminate: guards and inmates alike were killed as wave after wave of fire flew from the man's fingers. The stench of death was overpowering. Corpses littered the hallway, flesh charred and burnt. And Azula watched all of this, an almost childlike look of glee upon her face.

The figure approached her, his arms extended in am embrace. And for the first time in four months, Azula spoke, with tears in her eyes.

"Father…you've come for me."

---

The day that Zuko prayed would never come had finally arrived. This would be both the toughest challenge he had ever faced, and the defining moment of his reign. For better or worse, Zuko would forever be known as the Fire Lord who, at the age of 17, drove his country to the point of civil war. It was a depressing thought, to say the least, but considering all that had happened in the past three days – the disappearance of both the Avatar and his twin, the sudden reemergence of his father, and the incident with Katara – Zuko couldn't afford to spend his time feeling sorry for himself. He approached Katara with some degree of trepidation – he was about to tell her something that he thought he'd never find himself saying.

"Katara?"

"Hi Zuko. What's up?"

"Listen, when we go into battle later-"

"Zuko, I told you already, I'm fine to fight." Katara cut him off. "I appreciate your concern over what happened, but I'm okay now."

"It's not that. I know you're more than capable of handling yourself in a situation like this. What I wanted to tell you was…" he trailed off.

"What? What is it?"

"Katara, if we somehow lose this war, I want you to take you friends and get out of here."

Katara was shocked. "Zuko, how could you suggest that? We're all friends here, and neither me nor my brother are the types that turn our backs on our friends."

"It's not about that, Katara. Aside from Aang and Toph, you're pretty much one of the best warriors in the world. If this city was to be captured, I can't run the risk of having you and your brother get dragged down with me. This is my war, and there are going to be enough casualties as it is."

"But Zuko-"

"Promise me, Katara! I can't, no, I won't risk losing you guys due to my failure as a leader! You can fight them off as long as possible, but promise me that you'll get yourself and Sokka to safety if the tide turns in their favor."

Katara turned away. "I'm _not_ a coward, Zuko, and I won't abandon you and your people just because you might happen to be losing."

Zuko put a hand on her shoulder. "Katara, think of what Aang would say if he knew that you'd gotten killed because I let you stay at the frontlines. If I was somehow responsible for your death, even if it was through inaction, then not only would I be losing you, but I'd never be able to speak to him again, either. Katara, this isn't about you being weak or anything like that. But if I die here today, I don't want to lose my only friends in the world too."

She softened up a bit, and after a moment of hesitation, replied. "Alright, I'll do it. But why are we even having this conversation, anyway? It's not like we're destined to lose or anything."

The girl had a point. The battle plan he and his men had formed was a good one. The Capital City had been fortified, but Zuko knew not to keep all of the forces gathered in one area, either. Thus, he sent out smaller groups of soldiers to the surrounding cities and villages as well. The initial attack could come from any direction at any time, so it would be best to be prepared from all angles. Admittedly, this plan did run the risk of spreading his forces a bit too thin, but the only real alternative was keeping the Capital packed to the brim with soldiers, leaving the rest of the main island completely unguarded. In theory, though the plan wasn't perfect, it should have provided defense against the invading forces.

Of course, this was the real world, and as such, plans almost never work out the way you expect them to.

Zuko planned to follow the skirmishes in the outer cities by way of messenger hawks, sent from the battlefield. According to the information brought by the hawks, the invasion started…strangely. Soldiers stationed in Shu Jing reported an enemy squad composed of only three people. Naturally, this group was easily subdued, but why would Ozai send out such a tiny group to start the war? Zuko expected a sudden, crushing wave of infantry: tanks and komodo rhinos and maybe even some war balloons, not a single, tiny squadron. This incident only further unsettled Zuko when it happened again in Fire Fountain City. Even Jang Hui, a tiny, remote village that could easily be crushed, was subject to invasion by a single soldier. Ozai had never been known for his cunning, more so for his raw, crushing power, so why was he suddenly being so cautious?

That was when the bombshell dropped, literally. A bomb had taken out a good section of the city wall, creating a hole from which hundreds of infantrymen emerged. Zuko looked down in the carnage, his soldiers and his father's nearly indistinguishable due to their choice or armor. He felt a hand on his shoulder; it was Katara's. "Let's get in there," she said.

Sokka stood behind his sister, a sword clenched in his hand.

With that, the three of them jumped into battle.

---

Aang had absolutely no idea where he was. He knew he was in the spirit world, yes, but it was unlike any of his past excursions into that realm. There was no resemblance to a forest here, or an ancient temple, or even of a vast and endless desert. There was only a floating, shapeless, and seemingly depthless cosmic void. Jaang had told him about training in the dark regions of space, and it appeared that this, at least, was not a lie.

Aang stood before a rather disturbing and curious site: a skinless man, burning from every orifice with cosmic fire, meditating. He assumed that this was the physical personification of the Light Chakra that he had come into contact with earlier, but Aang could not find the words with which to address this metaphysical being. Before he could even get the chance, the being spoke to him mentally.

"I am the Lightweaver, the physical manifestation of the Light Chakra. Why have you come to me, young Avatar?"

"The...the Lightweaver?" questioned Aang.

"Yes. Though I suppose I should say that the Light Chakra is a manifestation of me. I leave my mark on all living beings at the moment of their birth. By leaving them a peace of my very essence, I give all living things the potential to unlock their minds to capacities greater than they ever thought possible." The creature spoke with an impassive, and yet somewhat soothing voice. "But again I ask, young boy, why have you come to me?"

"That's why I've come, Lightweaver. I wish to unlock my mind to its highest potential."

"But my boy," replied the Lightweaver, "you are the Avatar! You are not only the bridge between our world and your own, but you are also the most powerful being on the planet! What need could you have for simple spiritual mediations?" He paused, and then added, "Unless there's something more to it than that?"

Aang took a moment to choose his words. "There is a being more powerful than me on the Earth, Lightweaver. He claims to be the other half of the Avatar spirit. He has committed a grave injustice against my closest companion, and he has demonstrated immense mental powers, powers that he claims he learned from you. I come to learn these same techniques so that I may deliver justice to him."

The Lightweaver's eyes narrowed at the mention of this warrior. "Surely you don't mean Jaang?"

"Yes, that's his name. He claims to be my twin."

At this, the creature laughed uproariously, an unsettling sound to be sure. He stood and put an arm around Aang. "Oh my young friend," he said, "There is still so much you have yet to learn!"

---

The battle raged on and on. It was some of the most intense warfare anyone had ever seen. It was almost a complete sensory overload: fire flew in all directions, incinerating anything in its path and intensely heating the air. This, combined with the constant industrial whirr of the tanks that pounded at the city walls, made it almost impossible to tell what was going on. Katara, Sokka, and Zuko had taken out a good deal of the invading forces, but their side had suffered heavy casualties as well. None of them liked having to take so many lives, but it was the only real option they had.

"Geez, does this ever end?" panted Sokka.

"I think-" Katara cut herself, delivering a roundhouse kick to a soldier who was attempting to ambush her. "I think we should move out towards the front, try to take out some of those tanks before they break through."

"Oh yeah, let's make the battle even more difficult for ourselves, great idea sis!"

"Wait a minute you guys," said Zuko suddenly. His father's war balloon had landed in the middle of the plaza. The three steeled themselves for the coming attack. Ozai was perhaps the greatest pure Firebender alive, but they needed to beat him, for the good of the world.

The doors opened. Ozai stepped out of the balloon, his gait as powerful and confident as it always was. However, Zuko, rather than striking first, could only stand in shock at what he saw next.

Stepping out of the balloon, at her father's right hand, was Azula.


	6. Given to the Rising

"Azula!" shouted Zuko, the anger is his voice betrayed by his very real sense of surprise.

"Did you miss me, dear brother?" she replied, her tone of callous indifference unchanged since the end of the war. What had changed about Azula, however, was her psyche. She was no longer the raving mad girl that had been locked away for what seemed like so long. Her insanity was refined and sharpened like the edge of a blade. There were no hallucinations of her mother Ursa, no tears shed for a childhood warped and destroyed by warfare; the sole remaining vision that outlasted even her own madness was simple and clear. She would kill her brother.

"Don't think I've forgotten what you did to me. I spent four long months in that institution locked away amongst this nation's filth and refuse, all the while knowing that you stole my birthright!""

"_Your_ birthright?!" questioned Zuko.

"Yes, mine! You were never fit to wear the crown, Zuko!" Azula shouted back at him. "You never had the spirit of a true warrior! While I planned with father with ways to crush the Earth Kingdom, all you could do was whine about how much you missed mom, or how you had to restore your honor. Even when you were welcomed with open arms back into our family, when I gave _you _the credit for the attempted murder of the Avatar, it still couldn't satisfy you! You've always been a petulant, whiny child, and I cannot sit by any longer and let you bring this nation to ruin!"

Katara suddenly stepped in. "Bring this nation to ruin? You two are the ones leading a violent revolution!"

"Yes, but it wouldn't have had to come to this had Zuko not betrayed the very spirit on which this nation was founded!" replied Azula.

Ozai listened to these proceedings with a detached amusement. As he watched the slaughter occurring outside the gates, he wondered to himself how his two children could have turned out so differently from one another. His daughter had both Ursa's intense beauty and his own fiery, unwavering spirit. His son, on the other hand, was overly caring and sentimental, as prideful as his father but far too conflicted to carry this pride into battle. He then turned and spoke.

"Zuko, my son," started Ozai. "Look around you. Look at the way your men are dying. Look at the way our city burns. This nation could have prospered, no, thrived under your leadership! You could have crushed the Earth Kingdom for good, wiped out the Water Tribes, and truly cemented your place as Fire Lord. But you chose to side with the Avatar, and throw all of that potential progress away, choosing instead to believe in meaningless platitudes like 'love and peace.' I ask you now, my son: was it worth it?"

"Love and peace are not meaningless platitudes!" shouted Katara. "The world is a good place at its core, and its people can exist in harmony! Just because _you've _lived your entire life wishing to see the world burn doesn't mean that peace isn't worth fighting for!"

"Ah yes, I should have expected you to chime in," replied Ozai. "Tell me, my dear, did you truly believe that the world was a good and just place when the Avatar's brother raped you?"

Katara was stunned. _How…how could he possibly have known…?_ she thought as tears welled in her eyes.

At this, Sokka had heard enough, and went flying at Ozai, his sword clutched in his hands. The attack missed, and Ozai swatted the boy away with a powerful backhand.

"You took everything away from me, Zuko," said Azula as a cruel smile spread across her face. "You took my crown, you destroyed our family, and you've sent this nation on an irreversible downward spiral! For what you've done to me, for what you've done to _us_, I will kill you!"

The two siblings drew their weapons. Azula's shuriken knife glinted in the sun, while Zuko brandished his trusted Dao blades with steadfast determination. There would be no time for hesitance here, emotional or otherwise. If the revolution was Zuko's test as a leader, than this battle would be his test as a man.

"The city has fallen, Zuko!" chided Ozai with a smug sense of satisfaction. "Your reign is over!"

"Katara, take Sokka and get out of here," said Zuko.

"But Zuko, you need us!" replied the girl.

"Katara, remember what you promised to me! I have to do this on my own. This is _my war._" His words carried the solemnity of a prisoner condemned to the gallows. If this were truly to be the end, he would not go down without a fight. His dignity, his honor demanded that much.

Thus, Katara and Sokka left Zuko to fight his war. Zuko did not glance back; his eyes remained locked on his father and sister.

"Now then, my son," said Ozai, as fire curled from his fingertips. "Show me what you've got!"

---

"First of all, my boy, I must tell you that Jaang is not your twin."

Aang and the Lightweaver had been walking through the void. He had been mesmerized by his surroundings; an asteroid belt to his left, a dying star to his right. This news, however, snapped Aang out of his dreamlike trance.

"What…what do you mean?" he asked.

"Exactly what I said: he is not your twin, nor did he train for 100 years. You, Aang, are the one true Avatar, at least for this lifetime."

"But then how can he have the exact same powers as me? Only the Avatar can control all four elements," replied Aang.

"To know Jaang's abilities, you must first know his history," began the Lightweaver. "Take my hand."

Aang took the creature's hand, and an intense green light washed over the two. Aang found he was suddenly seeing into the past, viewing a crystal clear picture of Jaang's memories.

"What he told you about hailing from an uncharted land is indeed true. Jaang comes from a land known as Elvenefris. It is small, peaceful land, surrounded by forests and the beautiful splendor of nature. The people of Elvenefris bear no bending powers of their own, instead choosing to focus on mental and spiritual enlightenment. Jaang was born in this peaceful land like any other boy. His people, the Northern Astronomers, naturally studied the stars, and hoped to one day explore the vast reaches of space."

"Right, he'd told me about that," said Aang, as he saw this land, with its streams and valleys. The sheer beauty of it was almost overpowering.

"However, six years ago, the land of Elvenefris was attacked by a rogue group of Fire Nation soldiers. They struck under the cover of darkness, and Jaang saw his parents murdered right in front of him. Eventually, the soldiers were discovered and imprisoned by the rest of the town, but Jaang was too far gone. He blamed his fellow townsmen for not discovering the intruders sooner, and more importantly, he blamed you, Avatar, for not being there to intervene."

"Six years ago...but I was still frozen then! I couldn't have helped him!" said Aang.

"Well, Jaang didn't know this. Turning his back on his fellow Astronomers, he declared war on both the spirit world and the human world. He vowed to kill both the Avatar and all of humanity for their failures."

Aang saw his nemesis, at age six, with a sharpened piece of bone clenched in his tiny fist, screaming into the endless blue sky. He felt the boy's emotions wash over him: a profound sense of grief, an, an almost indescribable sense of rage. A sudden phrase came to Aang's mind: _an urge to kill the sun._ He knew not what it meant, or where it came from, but at the moment it felt all too real.

He watched the boy's progression as the Lightweaver narrated: the shaving of his head, the self-made tattoos done in an exact replica of his own. He saw that Jaang had even raided the Northern Air Temple, stealing his outfit from the corpse of a monk.

"But Lightweaver," said Aang, "this still doesn't explain how Jaang was able to develop the same powers as me!"

"He achieved the powers of the Avatar through the sheer power of his mind, overdeveloping his Light Chakra to the point where he could control all four elements telepathically. A renowned Fire Nation assassin managed to achieve a similar state-"

"You mean Combustion Man?"

"…that's his name? But while he was only able to mentally control fire, Jaang trained for so long, and with such intense hatred burning inside him, that he was able to gain control over the elements," said the Lightweaver.

"So you didn't grant him his mental powers, then?" asked Aang.

"No, he acquired those on his own, through six straight years of meditation."

"But if you didn't give him his powers, then how do you know about his past? I just assumed he told you or something."

"During those six years, Jaang at numerous points actually managed to cross over into my world, albeit mentally and not physically. We locked eyes for a moment, and that is how I came to know the pain that plagues him every waking hour. Upon your arrival, he bided his time, knowing that your victory over the Fire Lord would thrust you squarely back into the public eye."

The Lightweaver paused for a moment.

"That reminds me: you don't intend to kill Jaang, do you? Because I cannot grant you these abilities if this is the case."

Aang thought for a moment, his fist involuntarily clenching in rage. "…no, I suppose not," he eventually sighed. "I still hate him, but I also kinda' pity him too, you know? Besides, I don't kill people."

"Good. I would never grant these abilities to those who intend to use them for evil. The mind should not be a destructive tool; that is where most humans fail."

"There's still one thing I don't understand, Lightweaver. Jaang has wanted to kill me for pretty much half his life. Why would he go through all this trouble, coming to me as a friend and claiming to be my brother? Why didn't he just use his mental powers and kill me as soon as he saw me?" Aang asked.

"I believe he wants you to feel as helpless as he felt, six years ago," replied the Lightweaver. "He's done this by attacking the one you love most. Jaang knows that you can't defeat him with his powers as developed as they are, and I imagine he plans to take full advantage of this fact." Again he paused. "But, I see that unlike him, your hatred has not eroded your humanity. And as such, your training can begin."

---

"Give up, Zuko, you know you can't beat us both!" shouted Ozai as he threw another fireball towards his son.

Zuko had started off the battle on the offensive, driving back both his father and sister with deft, relentless sword strikes. Both were surprised by his sheer ferocity, thinking some degree of familial loyalty would hold him back. But the attacks had been fast and furious, and neither Ozai nor Azula had much of on opportunity for a counterattack.

However, Zuko eventually lost one of his blades, and had now spent his time mostly dodging fire, hoping to tire his adversaries out.

"Never! I'll never give up!" he shouted, throwing a fireball that came within inches of taking off his father's head. His comeback was short-lived, however, as Azula promptly snuck up and delivered a vicious thrusting kick to his shin. Forced down to one knee, Zuko was helpless as the blows came from all directions. Kicks and punches battered his body. Zuko made an attempt to strike with his remaining sword, but received a vicious chop to his arm from Azula, a punishing blow that forced him to drop his weapon.

"Do you see now, my son?! I told you that you would kneel before me!" Ozai mocked his son as he raised his fist, which soon became engulfed in an intense flame. As he prepared to deliver the killing blow, Ozai reared back in anger and pain as a shuriken pierced his wrist. Clutching his wounded limb, Ozai looked up to see what was the cause.

It was Mai.

Zuko glanced up at his love, holding three shuriken in each hand. "Mai…what are you doing?" he asked through ragged breaths.

"Well, I couldn't exactly sit around and let you get your butt whipped, could I?"

Azula laughed bitterly. "Ah, poor Mai…I see you still haven't learned your true place. This kingdom is ours now, and-"

She barely had enough time to dodge the shuriken aimed for her head. While Azula and Mai were busy, Zuko gathered his strength, grabbed his father's arm and threw him to the ground. And thus, the battle was on once again. As Ozai struggled to remove the knife from his still bleeding wrist, Zuko mounted him and battered his father with rights and lefts, pummeling his face into a bloody mess. He got up, and as his father rolled over to his stomach, Zuko delivered a vicious running kick to Ozai's skull before collapsing to his hands and knees in exhaustion. He barely had enough energy to glance over at Mai, who was engaged in a vicious knife fight with Azula. Both had suffered various wounds, and both seemed visibly frustrated at their inability to land a decisive blow.

That was when Zuko felt himself suddenly rise, as though he were a marionette being pulled by invisible strings. He looked around frantically to see what was causing this before finding his culprit: Jaang.

"Jaang, what are you doing?!" he shouted.

"I don't believe that Fire Lord Ozai gave you any permission to speak, Zuko," the boy replied coldly. Zuko watched as Azula delivered a powerful spin kick to Mai's face, and as she tumbled backwards, Jaang shot a lightning bolt at her falling body.

"_**MAAAIIII!!!" **_cried Zuko, as the force of the blow threw Mai's body into a nearby wall. "You MURDERER!!! I'LL KILL YOU, I SWEAR I'LL-" Zuko was cut off as a wave of anguish raced through his brain. It felt as though his head were going to explode.

"That's enough, Jaang," said Ozai, spitting up a gigantic gob of blood as he gradually stood. "Let him go."

Azula took a knife from Mai's cold hand, giving her body a little kick for good measure. She quickly strolled over to her brother's body, which now lied limp on the ground, and lifted his head by the hair.

"May I kill him now, father?!" she asked with glee.

"Not yet, dear. I plan to make an example of your brother," replied Ozai.

---

The crowd that had gathered, which at this point numbered in the thousands, consisted mostly of Ozai's men, though Zuko also saw many of his generals being lead away in chains. His hands were bound, and the timber was piled beneath him. When Ozai said he would make an example of him, Zuko had a feeling he'd meant a public execution. It was a ceremony usually reserved for war criminals, a role that Zuko fit perfectly according to the law of the new regime. Azula stood to his left, while his father stood in front, preaching to his men.

"My friends, today we shall wipe the slate of this nation clean!" said Ozai to the thunderous applause of the crowd. "No longer shall we be a nation of cowards and hypocrites! Today is the first day of restoration for the Fire Nation's once-mighty empire!"

At last the pyre was complete. Zuko felt a hand on his shoulder; it was Jaang, who looked at him coldly before slipping away once more into the shadows. Ozai stepped to the right to allow the crowd a full view of the ceremony, before turning to his son.

"Zuko, my son, you could've done great things for this land, but you allowed it to be corrupted by the Avatar's cowardice. Have you any last words before you are executed?" asked Ozai.

"Yes. Not for you, father, or your men, but for my sister," he replied.

Azula smirked at this. "Yes, brother!" she said. "Curse me for killing your beloved Mai! Disown me with your final breath!"

Zuko looked at her, "Azula, I'm sorry things couldn't have been better between us. Unlike our father, whose hated has had time to fester and enroot itself in his soul, you're still a child. You're not yet beyond hope. I love you."

Azula stood with her mouth agape; she was far too shocked for any sort of retort. Her father, however, was less than impressed. As Ozai held the torch inches from the pile of timber, he murmured, just loud enough for both of his children to hear,

"Your mother is already dead; she was slain by my own hand. You may join her now."

As the flames consumed his body, Zuko didn't scream. He felt no pain, only an intense heat, and his thoughts were concerned not with his own death, but with his friends and family. He thought of Aang, of Katara, of Sokka and Toph, and of his mother waiting for him in oblivion. And Azula could only stand there, weeping silently, as she watched him burn.

---

The two had been flying north for so many hours they'd lost count. Sokka, in contrast to his usual jokey demeanor, had very little say and slept for much of the trip, and despite their intense loyalty, neither Appa nor Momo were very good at conversation. This left Katara alone with her thoughts. She worried about Zuko, and the state of the Fire Nation. She worried about what would happen if he lost his battle. Mostly though, Katara worried about Aang. She wanted to be near him again, to wrap him in her arms and simply feel his presence there.

Appa suddenly grunted in surprise. "What is it, Appa?" asked Katara as she looked down over the side of the massive beast.

Sokka suddenly chimed in. "It looks like we're over a village of some sort, but I don't remember there being any settlements north of the Fire Nation aside from the North Pole, and this definitely isn't the North Pole."

Katara suddenly felt a voice in her head; it was Aang's. "Katara, tell Appa to land over in that valley. I'll be with you soon, I promise." She did as instructed, and soon the group found themselves landing in a winding canyon dotted by sporadic patches of flowers and trees. The group traveled for what seemed like a mile before eventually reaching a large wooden gate. In front of this gate stood what Katara presumed to be soldiers, one of who strolled over to the group. He had long blonde hair, dark blue eyes, and a rugged yet handsome face. Except for his head, he was clad almost entirely in silver armor, and he held a gleaming broadsword in his hand.

"I am Thomas," the man said. "What brings you here?"

"We're fleeing from the Fire Nation; a war has broken out there and we have no place else to stay," replied Katara.

"What is this place, anyway?" asked Sokka.

"The Fire Nation? Oh yes, we've had a few run-ins with them in the past. Please come this way," said Thomas, as he signaled to the other guard to open the gate.

"Hey buddy, you never answered me! Where are we, and-" Sokka was cut off by the sight that greeted him. A vast green meadow, punctuated by tall, mighty trees and several paved paths snaking off in all directions. The intense greenery was almost too much to take in at once. Thomas smiled as he saw the look of wonder upon the travelers' faces.

"Welcome to Elvenefris," he said.


End file.
